This blog is dedicated to treating everyone - clients, prospects, friends, and family - as valuable partners. We should show them our gratitude through all our actions, including our marketing.

March 11, 2017

The Future

How would we describe the future a year from now? What would
our businesses look like in a year? What would we want our business
relationships to be 12 months from now? How would we describe our ideal
relationship with anyone when we first meet?

Would we only want relationships where one of us is the
customer of the other; would we only want both of us to be customers of each
other? Or would our business relationships to be more than that? We never attend
a networking meeting where we do not learn something from the others present.
We also never meet anyone one-on-one and fail to learn something.

We should establish working business relationships with
everyone that we meet. We should look for others that are professional in their
business dealings, that are passionate about their business and its workings,
and that are personable toward those that their business touches. But, what do
we want from these business relationships?

An ideal business relationship may include the possibility
of being mutual customers of each other. However, if we are not mutual
customers, or even if neither of us is a customer of the other, the business
relationship can still be a success.

A successful business relationship includes the following:

ØThere
is a mutual respect for each other’s business, ethics, principles, and methods.

ØThat
mutual respect allows each partner to refer prospects to each other with no
hesitation.

ØReferrals
do not always include customer prospects, but may include those who might
assist the recipient in increasing their possibilities of success.

ØThere
is a mutual honesty that allows the partners to be honest and supportive of
each other when asked for assistance.

ØThe
partners in the relationship do not hesitate to offer assistance when asked and
do not hesitate to ask for assistance when needed.

When we are in networking meetings, we must look for the
people with whom we might establish business relationships. Engage each person that
we meet in a one-on-one for a get acquainted chat, and determine how we may
establish a mutually rewarding relationship. It is amazing what we can
accomplish when we look for the possibilities.

Do not prejudge anyone. The person that we first believe is
not worth getting to know may be our next networking partner, our next business
relationship that will drive us to success. Perhaps this person will be who we
can help with our insight, experience, knowledge, and counsel. We may have the
opportunity of a lifetime to make someone’s life better.

As we go about our business, try to make our entire future
brighter and better. What do we want our business relationships to be in a year
from now with each and every person we meet? Look for the great possibilities
or opportunities and find them. Recognizing these opportunities and following
up with them is practicing Gratitude Marketing. Please leave me your
comments, or email me at Jim@JimTeasley.com,
or call me at 360-314-8691.